Belgian Tim Merlier burnished his reputation as the man to beat in sprint finishes as he shot to a second straight Paris-Nice stage win on Monday.
The Soudal Quick-Step rider had to overcome being trapped behind a crash 20km to go to get back in touch with the lead peloton, where he faced reduced competition at a finish line tailor-made to test the fast men.
The 32-year-old Merlier also extended his overall lead in the standings after two stages of the race conceived as a mini Tour de France.
🏁👑 Un nouveau sprint très disputé pour une belle victoire en Jaune! 💛
— Paris-Nice (@ParisNice) March 10, 2025
⏪ Revivez le dernier kilomètre de l’étape 2
🏁👑 A thrilling sprint for a strong win in Yellow! 💛
⏪ Relive the final kilometer of Stage 2#ParisNice pic.twitter.com/EaErQwqCXa
"That's the first time I have won a stage when I was leading the standings," said Merlier, who claims to always sleep poorly after a stage win.
"It's a very special feeling".
Two-time Tour de France winner Jonas Vingegaard finished safely in the pack again and is 20 seconds adrift of Merlier in the rankings due to win time bonuses.
Stage two of eight was a flat 183.9km run from Montesson, just 20km west of Paris, to Bellegarde with the route heading down to the Loire Valley on Tuesday.
The crash split the peloton and ended the race for Luke Durbridge and Gorka Sorarrain.
💥 Grosse chute dans le peloton ! De nombreux coureurs sont concernés.
— Paris-Nice (@ParisNice) March 10, 2025
💥 Big crash in the peloton! Many riders are involved.#ParisNice pic.twitter.com/vZhEerGFHu
It also allowed Jonas Abrahamsen to continue his slog out front on an escape for longer than expected, as he was caught just 5km from the line and took the day's combativity award.
Stuck behind the crash were some overall contenders such as Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl-Trek), Joao Almeida of UAE Team Emirates and Ben O'Connor of Jayco-AlUla.
Tuesday's stage, which begins at the Magny-Cours motor racing circuit, is a 28.4km team time trial using the new format where all team riders are given the same time as the fastest among them with no need to wait for their teammates over the closing section.
This is to encourage the top riders to attack and will be used at the Tour de France's opening stage in Barcelona in 2026.
The following two stages on this Paris-Nice feature rolling hills as the race forges south and culminates with a pair of mountain stages in the Riviera backcountry this weekend.
The action should go down to the wire with a chase up the fabled slopes of the Col d'Eze, offering a sweeping view of the French Riviera, before the peloton race full on to the denouement on Nice's Promenade des Anglais.